THAT OLD FEELING
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 4.0 Alternative Scale: ** out of ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 4/4/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:42 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Profanity, sexual situations) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Bette Midler, Dennis Farina, Paula Marshall, Danny Nucci, Gail O'Grady, David Rasche, Jamie Denton Director: Carl Reiner Producers: Leslie Dixon and Bonnie Bruckheimer Screenplay: Leslie Dixon Cinematography: Steve Mason Music: Patrick Williams U.S. Distributor: Universal Pictures
THAT OLD FEELING is a formulaic romantic comedy that doesn't have the decency to give us any real chemistry between the members of about five mix-and-match couples. While it's generally expected that all but the top echelon of entries into this genre are going to rely upon stock situations and familiar plot turns, the difference between an enjoyable romantic comedy and a wearisome one is whether sparks are evident in the character interaction. And, although THAT OLD FEELING features almost everybody with more than one partner, nothing ever clicks. So we're left with a tired story that goes to sleep after only about twenty-five minutes.
Of course, some of the matches aren't supposed to work. Take, for example, the marriage of Dan (Dennis Farina) and Rowena DeMauro (Gail O'Grady). Although these two have been together for fourteen years, anything more substantial than tolerance has long since drained out of their union. Then there's Dan's ex, actress Lilly Leonard (Better Midler), whose second husband, Alan (David Rasche) is one of those whiny, feel-good therapists. Finally, there's Molly (Paula Marshall), a twenty-something woman with no apparent career or direction in life, who has decided to marry would-be politician Keith (Jamie Denton), because he's the safe choice.
In fact, Molly and Keith's wedding is where the "action" begins. You see, according to the bride, her parents hate each other with "a nuclear capability." Sure enough, after a brief try at civilized conversation, their repartee devolves into a screaming match, which, in turn, leads to a heated kiss. Soon, Dan and Lilly are steaming up the inside of his sports car. Later, they sneak off together for a wild affair in New York City. Horrified that her parents' behavior might hurt her new husband's election chances (he's running on a family values platform), Molly sets off in pursuit, but, the longer she follows them, the more she realizes how dull her own love life is. Then, on top of that, she starts to fall for a tabloid photographer (Danny Nucci) who's helping her locate her delinquent mother and father.
Part of the problem with THAT OLD FEELING is that the main story -- the reunion between Dan and Lilly -- can't sustain the movie. Once they've stopped hurling insults and started kissing, that aspect of the film is dead-in-the-water. There's no place for it to go, except back to insults, then to more kissing, like a yo-yo. Hence, in order to pad things out to feature length, we have the who's-Molly-going-to-end-up- with subplot (as if we didn't know from the first moment Danny Nucci walks on screen). This might have worked if the characters had been a little more interesting (she's boring; he's goofy, but not in an endearing way) or if the actors had connected. While TV regular Paula Marshall and Nucci (CRIMSON TIDE, THE ROCK) look good, that's not enough.
At least Bette Midler and Dennis Farina (GET SHORTY) have their moments, although Dan and Lilly seem better suited to be good friends than lovers. Their arguments are forced and mechanical and their sex scenes are awkward, but they develop a genuine camaraderie while they're walking the streets of New York, slipping through a hotel lobby, and eating dinner. Midler and Farina could probably be very good in these roles if the script didn't limit them so badly.
THAT OLD FEELING was directed by veteran Carl Reiner (father of Rob), who used to helm all of Steve Martin's feature projects, and hasn't done much of note since ALL OF ME. Surprisingly for Reiner, who's a funny man, there aren't many laughs in THAT OLD FEELING. In fact, had this film turned into the madcap, screwball endeavor it occasionally tries to be, maybe the numerous flaws wouldn't have been so obvious. As it is, however, THAT OLD FEELING is just another example of a romantic comedy stuck using those old cliches in familiar and uninteresting ways.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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